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Thomas Mulcair vows to ‘wipe’ floor with Justin Trudeau

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair defends his party's definition of a "clear" majority in a hypothetical Quebec referendum to a Montreal audience next week. (YouTube)

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, seen here at a Remembrance Day ceremony Ottawa, has not committed his party to terms of Quebec separation talks, says NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair. (FRED CHARTRAND / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA—NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair is vowing to “wipe the floor” with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in the next federal election on the issue of Quebec separatism as he defends the NDP’s controversial position that a bare majority is needed to trigger secession talks.

Speaking to a Montreal audience last week, Mulcair reaffirmed the NDP’s policy that a vote of 50 per cent plus one in a clearly worded referendum question would be enough for Ottawa to begin negotiations with Quebec on secession.

“I’ll stand by that and I’ll debate that with anybody, anytime. And I look forward to debating that with Justin Trudeau in 2015, and I know exactly what’s going to happen: I’m going to wipe the floor with him,” he said.

Mulcair and the NDP stirred controversy earlier this year with their proposal for a “unity bill” to replace the Clarity Act, which was meant to bring clarity in the wake of the nearly successful 1995 separation referendum in Quebec. The NDP’s proposed bill outlined the party’s willingness to accept a 50 per cent plus one referendum vote if other conditions were met

The NDP leader addressed the topic during a Nov. 12 appearance at an event sponsored by Montreal Friends of Peace Now. The remarks were recorded by someone in the crowd and posted to YouTube.

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The video clip, which stretches just nearly five minutes, captures only Mulcair’s comments on Quebec secession. It’s not clear whether he was responding to a question from the audience.

“England and Scotland sat down. They worked out a question together … And you know what the percentage the Brits are requiring: they are requiring 50 per cent plus one,” he said.

In Canada, the Supreme Court said in 1998 that a “clear majority” voting in favour of secession in a clear question should be sufficient to trigger negotiations. However, the judges left the definition of majority up to Parliament.

“It will be for the political actors to determine what constitutes ‘a clear majority on a clear question’ in the circumstances under which a future referendum vote may be taken,” the judges said.

After that decision, then-prime minister Jean Chrétien brought in the Clarity Act in 2000. That act dictated that Ottawa would discuss secession with Quebec only after a clear majority of Quebecers voted yes in a referendum on separation. However, the legislation did not define a “clear majority.”

Speaking in Montreal, Mulcair said the NDP is the only party that has done what he claims the Supreme Court required.

“We’re clear. Anybody who tells you because they’ve got a bill on so called ‘clarity’ that has no number in it, that has no question on it, theirs is anything but clear. Ours is,” Mulcair said, referring to the Liberals’ Clarity Act.

“I’ll take this on straight on. The day the Liberal Party tells anybody in this room what their percentage is, I’m ready to have that criticism levelled at the NDP. The day you hear the Liberal Party say what a clear question is, I’m ready to have that criticism levelled at the NDP,” he said.

Mulcair also attempted to tackle some of the backlash that has come with the NDP position.

“These are complicated issues … it lends itself to very visceral, emotional reactions, such as ‘I’m 50 per cent plus one, the NDP is saying that they want to break up the country,’ ” he told his audience. “Well that’s not true.”

He said any party that wants to discuss the issue must first decide the referendum question and the majority size that would open secession discussions.

“The only party that can claim that we’ve done both things required by the Supreme Court is the NDP. We’ve been clear on the question. We’ve been clear on the number, same as the Brits,” he said.

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